Many would agree that Windows XP was one of the best versions of Windows ever. While it’s now extremely outdated, it’s still possible to relive the nostalgia and give Windows 11 the look of XP.

Apply the Windows XP Wallpaper

One of the main highlights of Windows XP was the Bliss wallpaper, which featured a grassy hill and a deep blue sky with a few scattered clouds. You can get that wallpaper from somewhere like WallpaperHub. Choose the size you need, right-click on the image, and select “Save Image As.”

Navigate to the location where the image is saved, right-click on it, and choose “Set as Desktop Background.”

Customize the Taskbar

After applying the desktop background, the next task is to give your taskbar the Windows XP style.

To begin, open Settings with Windows+i and navigate to Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors. Click the dropdown icon next to Taskbar Alignment and choose “Left.”

Next, you need to download RetroBar, which is a free-to-use application that themes your taskbar. Download the latest version under the Release section on the right.

Click the “RetroBar.64-bit.zip” file under the Assets section.

Extract the downloaded file and open the RetroBar executable file. When the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen dialog box appears, click “More Info” and choose “Run Anyway.”

Now, you’ll be prompted to install the .NET Desktop Runtime; click “Yes” to give your permission. It may take some time, depending on your internet speed. Once the download is complete, open the downloaded file and finish the installation of the Windows Desktop Runtime.

Then, open the RetroBar executable file again. You’ll see the taskbar appearance change, though initially it will more resemble the Windows 98 taskbar.

To give it the Windows XP look, right-click the taskbar and choose “Properties.”

In the RetroBar Properties window, click the dropdown icon next to Theme and select “Windows XP Blue.”. Additionally, check the boxes for “Allow Font Smoothing” and “Show Windows Previews (Thumbnails).”

Switch to the “Advanced” tab and check the box for “Automatically Start at Logon.” This ensures that the RetroBar application launches automatically every time you start your device, so you don’t have to open it manually.

The Properties window also includes additional options, such as locking the taskbar, collapsing notification area icons, and more. I recommend exploring each option to understand what they do and customizing them to suit your preferences.

Theme the Start Menu

While most of your taskbar now closely resembles Windows XP, clicking the Start menu still reveals the Windows 11 design. To get the Windows XP-style Start menu, you’ll need to download an application called Open-Shell.

Click on the latest available version under the Releases section. At the time of writing, the latest version is 4.4.191. Next, click the “OpenShellSetup_4_4_191.exe” file under the Assets section. Download the file, open it, and install it like any other application.

Once the installation is complete, click the Start menu on the left side of the taskbar, and the Open-Shell Settings window appears. Select the “Classic With Two Columns” option and check “Show All Settings.”

Next, click the “Skin” tab and choose “Windows XP Luna” from the Skin dropdown menu. Under the Skin Options section, you’ll find several other settings, like showing the user picture, username, and more. You can enable or disable these settings in turn to customize the appearance to your liking.

Now, click the “Menu Look” tab and adjust the “Vertical Position Offset” value to around 15–20. This adjustment decreases the gap between the Start menu icon and the menu itself. For me, setting it to 16 worked best, but you can tweak this value to suit your display.

That’s all you need to do to transform the Start menu. There are plenty of additional options in Open-Shell Settings that you can customize further as per your preferences.

Change the Window Buttons and Icons

For the finishing touch, you can make the window buttons look like those in Windows XP. For that, you’ll need WindowBlinds 11.

Unfortunately, unlike the other two applications you’ve used so far, WindowBlinds 11 costs $29.99. That said, the program does offer a 30-day free trial. If you’re like me and just want the Windows XP look for a few days before switching back to the default Windows 11 appearance, the free trial should work perfectly. Otherwise, you can opt for the paid plan.

Once you’ve downloaded the application, install it on your computer. After installation, open the app, click the “Style” option on the left sidebar, select “Luna” from the options on the right, and click “Apply Style to Desktop.”

That’s it! You’ll notice that the Windows 11 icons have been replaced with Windows XP icons. Changes will also appear in other areas, like File Explorer, where icons for drive names and storage capacity indicators now resemble the classic Windows XP style.

However, you’ll only see the icon changes in Windows native applications, like the Control Panel. All third-party applications, such as browsers, will continue to use their own buttons.

There you have it—the Windows XP look on your Windows 11 computer. Feels nostalgic, doesn’t it? When you’re ready to switch back to the standard Windows 11 appearance, simply uninstall all the applications you installed during this process.